Sunlight Spark Across the Pottery Wheel - 適合中級的英文短篇故事，含中譯與發音

Slip water dripped into the tray and made a soft echo under the table. The wheel's iron handle clicked each time Nestor turned it with a slow push. Max set both hands on the cool clay and watched it turn in place. On its own, sunlight from the high window cut a bright bar across the room. In the bucket, that bar broke into ripples and threw a spark onto the wall. A dry bowl sat on the shelf; Nestor had made it at university. Wet earth mixed with clean water in the air, and the iron felt cool against Max's palm. "It looks round now," Nestor said, his sleeve gray with clay streaks. "Nearly there," Max said, keeping his elbows low and steady.

Then the spark slid from the wall and landed on the turning clay. The wet surface flashed and hid the thin center line for a moment. Max blinked and leaned back; his right hand drifted a little off center. A shallow bend marked the wall and wobbled as the wheel kept moving. It curved across the wet wall and bounced toward the shelf. It ran over the dry bowl, and an oval shadow appeared to turn. Max lowered his thumbs and steadied the wall with a slower breath. Nestor slid the bucket a hand's width, and the harsh glare softened. Their progress showed in a higher wall and a faint ridge where light had struck. Light kept skating over the clay as the wheel turned in Nestor's hands. Two rings circled the soft wall, one from Max's thumb and one wider from Nestor. Nestor turned the iron handle again, and Max held his thumb beside the rings as the stripe passed.

薄泥水一滴一滴落進淺盤，在桌下響起輕輕的回音。每當奈斯特用慢勁轉動時，陶輪的鐵把會發出細小的輕響。麥克把雙手放在冰涼的黏土上，看著它在原地轉動。高處窗子照進來的日光，自己在房內拉出一條明亮的帶狀光。那道光在水桶裡被波紋切碎，又把一點亮光拋到牆上。乾燥的碗放在層架上；奈斯特在大學時做了它。濕土味和乾淨的水味在空氣裡交織，鐵把貼著麥克的手心也帶著涼意。「現在看起來很圓，」奈斯特說，他的袖子上沾著灰色泥痕。「快了，」麥克說，手肘壓低而穩。

那一點亮光接著從牆上滑下，落到旋轉的黏土上。濕亮的表面一閃，把細細的中心線暫時遮住。麥克眨了一下眼，身子往後一退；他的右手稍微偏離了中心。壁面留下淺淺的彎痕，隨著陶輪繼續轉而微微擺動。亮影沿著濕壁彎過去，又彈向層架。它掠過乾碗，橢圓的影子像順著邊緣在轉。麥克把雙拇指放低，以更慢的呼吸穩住壁面。奈斯特把水桶平移了一個手掌的寬度，刺眼的反光便柔和下來。他們的進度表現在更高的壁面上，也留下一道光曾撞過的淡淡脊痕。光仍在黏土上滑動，陶輪也在奈斯特的手中轉動。兩道環紋繞著柔軟的壁面，一道來自麥克的拇指，另一道較寬，來自奈斯特。奈斯特再次轉動鐵把，麥克把拇指貼在兩道環紋旁邊，條狀光影掠過去。